I wasn't worried about it til you mentioned it!

In reality I have read about many phones and other devices that use the USB connector failing than any other.  I takes a little force and many users try plugging it in wrong first and then get it right but more wear has been placed on it.  At least the connection between the Oasis and it's case is a relatively soft connect and is held in place and connects by precisely placed magnets.  The design appears to be long lasting to me. 

 

I don't have an Oasis and I'd be more worried about the device's battery failing than the one in the cover.  For people who leave the cover on most of the time this shouldn't be a problem since, as I understand it, it doesn't use the built-in battery if the cover is on and charged.  But for those who leave the cover off a lot the 500 to 1000 charges a lithium ion battery usually gets will get used up pretty fast.

Barry

 

I'm not worried about it.

I've had kindles since 2008 and a failing battery has never been a problem. I did have one device that was damaged by accident, and one where the screen failed. The screen fail happened within a year and was replaced without any trouble. The one that was damaged was out of warranty but when I reported it to Amazon, they had me send it back and then gave me a good discount on a new or refurbished device. I've tended to pass my older devices on when I get new ones, sometimes trading them in for Amazon store credit, but there are a couple of kindles that I know of personally that are going on 4 or 5 years old and the batteries are just fine.

 

Not worried about that at all. I still have my K1, I replaced the batter on it once. K1 is 6 years old, that battery I think is 4 years old. I have my K3 still, bought it in 2010, still same battery. Same with my fires and other kindles.

And if there was a issue down the line, I feel confident that amazon would make it right one way or another. I also believe that down the line they will sell the covers separately for those that might want more than one, or other colors.

And if the Oasis battery dies short outside the warranty, I feel confident that they would at least offer a reduced deal on a new one as they often have done.

But I never had a battery outright die, in any of my devices. And by the time it does, I am sure I already have another kindle anyway.

 

I can only repeat what Atunah and Ann said.  "No." 

I bought my K1 in 2008, eight years ago.  I've replaced the battery on it once.  My Kindle Touch and my original baby Kindle are still working fine.  And I do occasionally let my batteries run down (bad Betsy, I know).  I've never had to replace a device because of the battery, so I'm not worried about the Oasis.  A newer shinier thing will come up before the battery goes bad, but even if it doesn't, I'm confident I will get years of use out of it.

And there's always the Voyage.



And welcome to KBoards, reddblick!  Great question!

Betsy

 

Thanks for the courteous replies everyone!  I've posted my concerns elsewhere and immediately was flamed.  Nice to know there are still good people with an Internet connection. 

Deciding between the Oasis and the Voyage is giving me major brain damage.  I know I probably can't go wrong either way, which is why it is so hard to decide. I've probably spent 40 actual hours reading reviews, etc. Any advice from you Kindle pros? Pros and cons of each from those of you with both?

 

If someone flames you here (which is highly unlikely) send 'em to me. Or to Ann. We'll take care of them! Flaming not allowed here. . We've all got fire extinguishers.

There's a thread here somewhere about Voyage vs Oasis.

I have both, and thought the Voyage was the best ereader I'd ever seen until I got to hold my Oasis. But there's a premium to be paid for a small amount of enhancement.

Off to see if I can find the other thread--I'll add the link here.

Here's the thread discussing Voyage vs Oasis:
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,234781.0.html

Betsy

 

Thanks for the courteous replies everyone! I've posted my concerns elsewhere and immediately was flamed. Nice to know there are still good people with an Internet connection.

We pride ourselves on being the NICE corner of the Internet.

Deciding between the Oasis and the Voyage is giving me major brain damage. I know I probably can't go wrong either way, which is why it is so hard to decide. I've probably spent 40 actual hours reading reviews, etc. Any advice from you Kindle pros? Pros and cons of each from those of you with both?

Having used both over the last couple of weeks, I like the Voyage a bit better. Keep in mind I've had the Voyage for a year and a half, and the Oasis is relatively new to me. Still, for me, the size and shape of the Voyage is more comfortable for me to hold, and also more pleasing aesthetically. I think the haptic buttons work great.

The physical buttons on the Oasis are nice, but I'm still finding the flipping over when I want to change hands awkward. And it seems no matter how I want to hold it, the buttons don't lay in a place that makes it comfortable to use 'em -- whichever way I have it configured. So I end up turning the page with a touch anyway.

And the Oasis in my had is less comfortable to hold 'like a book' which is how I hold the Voyage. Though it is a bit lighter.

The big bullet point for the Oasis is 'one handed reading' but that's a non starter for me. If I hold anything in even a gentle grip for any length of time my fingers get stiff. Family malady: arthritis.

If my Voyage died tomorrow, I'd replace it with another Voyage. If my Oasis died tomorrow, I'd return it for a refund. And then buy a second Voyage or maybe a basic Kindle as backup.

 

Get the Oasis if:

Having the lightest possible device is critically important to you, because of poor grip strength or similar,

You simply must have a true physical clicky page turn button,

Having the ability to read for a long time without recharge is really, really important to you (I think hardly anyone actually falls in this category), or

Having the latest and greatest toy is important to you, and you have money to burn.

There may be an argument for purchase by those who are really super-fussy about perfectly even light. My eyes don't work that well, so I can't say.

Otherwise, get a Voyage and save some money for more books, or perhaps a nice cover. My understanding is that fancy Voyage covers can take you into Oasis price ranges for the combination.

For the record, I was happy with my Voyage, bought an Oasis anyway, and am happy with my choice. I do like the weight, and I love having real page turn buttons again!

 

Thanks, Betsy. I'll take a look at the thread. Thanks for the link. When using your Oasis, do you miss the adaptive light sensor found on the Voyage?  Also, do you read from the Oasis without the cover attached? Is the combined battery system of the Oasis at least as good as the Voyage's battery life?  Do you prefer the haptic feedback "buttons" on the Voyage or the physical buttons on the Oasis? As far as I understand, the screens are the same (300 ppi)  but the Oasis has 4 more LEDs to frontlght it  Which screen do you prefer at night? During the day?  If the Oasis was sold at half the current asking price, would it be an even more of an instant purchase for you?

Sorry for the onslaught of questions.

 

Thanks, Betsy. I'll take a look at the thread. Thanks for the link.

Not Betsy, but I'll answer.

When using your Oasis, do you miss the adaptive light sensor found on the Voyage?

Not really. I do use it on the Voyage, but I don't end up in super bright or super dark places wanting to read very often, so it actually doesn't shift much.

Also, do you read from the Oasis without the cover attached?

Tried it -- made my hand ache

Is the combined battery system of the Oasis at least as good as the Voyage's battery life?

It's supposed to be better, technically -- but there are a lot of variables. It's certainly 'good enough' on either device for me.

Do you prefer the haptic feedback "buttons" on the Voyage or the physical buttons on the Oasis?

I probably prefer the real buttons, and that you can switch what they're for is nice. But the haptic ones work just fine for me -- it would be nice if there was something slightly raised so it's easier to find them in the dark. But you get used to where they are.

As far as I understand, the screens are the same (300 ppi) but the Oasis has 4 more LEDs to frontlght it Which screen do you prefer at night? During the day?

I don't see a real difference in the lighting personally. Though, as you'll see if you read through the other thread, the screen color seems a bit more creamy.

If the Oasis was sold at half the current asking price, would it be an even more of an instant purchase for you?

Kind of a meaningless question since it isn't. Plus, anyone who bought and loves their Oasis would clearly be more than happy to have it for half price. I will say this: if both the Oasis and Voyage went on sale for the same price, say $100, today, I'd probably spring for a second Voyage, but I wouldn't buy a second Oasis.

Sorry for the onslaught of questions.

Questions are what we do best. And answers . . . we do answers, too.

 

. Glad you found us! You have a lot of pent-up questions!!!

When using your Oasis, do you miss the adaptive light sensor found on the Voyage?

I never used the adaptive light sensor, so no.

Also, do you read from the Oasis without the cover attached?

I do; not because I prefer it without the cover but because it maximizes the battery life. The cover will continually charge the Oasis when it's attached, so that the Oasis stays pretty fully charged but the cover goes down to under 10% and you start getting multiple warnings about the low cover, so you need to read with it off at that point until you draw down the Oasis. So I tend to take it off while reading and put it on when I'm not.

Is the combined battery system of the Oasis at least as good as the Voyage's battery life?

At least, though it's hard for me to say as I never tested the limits of my Voyage's battery life as I have the Oasis.

Do you prefer the haptic feedback "buttons" on the Voyage or the physical buttons on the Oasis?

I have a strong preference for the buttons on the Oasis.

As far as I understand, the screens are the same (300 ppi) but the Oasis has 4 more LEDs to frontlght it Which screen do you prefer at night? During the day?


I prefer the Oasis, but not by much. I do think my Voyage had a bit more contrast but not enough to bother me.

If the Oasis was sold at half the current asking price, would it be an even more of an instant purchase for you?

Definitely. If I hadn't had gift certificate credit, I likely wouldn't have bought an Oasis yet; a cheaper price would have made it a no-brainer. EDIT: And, unlike Ann, I would buy a second Oasis over a second Voyage.

Betsy

 

I do; not because I prefer it without the cover but because it maximizes the battery life. The cover will continually charge the Oasis when it's attached, so that the Oasis stays pretty fully charged but the cover goes down to under 10% and you start getting multiple warnings about the low cover, so you need to read with it off at that point until you draw down the Oasis. So I tend to take it off while reading and put it on when I'm not.

In my experience, yes, you get the warning when the cover is low, but only when you start a reading session. It's not like it pops up every 10 minutes. If you put the thing down and then have to wake it again, you get the cover warning. And I think the warning changes slightly when the device begins to be low as well.

Anyway, I really don't find it comfortable to hold without the cover, and I can't even properly lean it against my leg since the device is slippery, so I leave the cover on even when the warnings start. With the cover flipped back there's enough friction that it doesn't slide against my jeans or whatever.

 

In my experience, yes, you get the warning when the cover is low, but only when you start a reading session. It's not like it pops up every 10 minutes. If you put the thing down and then have to wake it again, you get the cover warning. And I think the warning changes slightly when the device begins to be low as well.

Anyway, I really don't find it comfortable to hold without the cover, and I can't even properly lean it against my leg since the device is slippery, so I leave the cover on even when the warnings start. With the cover flipped back there's enough friction that it doesn't slide against my jeans or whatever.

Maybe it's because I tend to get interrupted a lot while reading, but yeah, it seemed like I got it a lot.

Betsy

 

I have both the Voyage and the Oasis. I loved the voyage, except the haptic buttons were not my favorite. Could never find them in the dark. I do however miss the adaptive light sensor that the Voyage has. A lot of people didn't like it, but I got mine adjusted to the way I liked it and never had a problem. Since I read during the day and at night in a pitch dark room, I find myself changing the Oasis light several times a day. Not a huge time taker, but it was nice that I didn't even have to think about it with the Voyage. I think my Voyage screen is slightly better than my Oasis, but not by much. That said, I love everything else about the Oasis! It's so light and I love the actual buttons. I also love that I can flip it and read with the buttons on the other side without having to make any on-screen adjustment. I flip sides while reading in bed and it is so easy to just change hands and keep on reading. I love the size of the Oasis and it's easier for me to hold than the Voyage was. For me, the battery seems pretty close to the Voyage, but I've not kept track of hours and all that stuff. I've been charging it about once a week I think. Battery life has never been a real issue for me though. I don't travel much so I'm always near an outlet. I almost always read with the cover on. It's comfortable both ways for me, but if I leave the cover on I feel it's better protected if I set it down to go chase the dog or something. I don't feel one device is better or worse in the day or night for reading. You can change the light to where you like it, so whichever kindle you choose I think you will like it in either light.

 

I didn't realize you asked this because you're trying to decide whether to get an Oasis so now that I do I'd like to re-phrase my answer.

Assuming price isn't an issue I think the Oasis might be very attractive if you intend to leave the cover on.  I read my Voyage most of the time without a cover and without a cover on the Oasis I'm afraid the battery's overall lifetime might not be long.  I have a Voyage but not an Oasis.  I did consider getting an Oasis when it was announced but they were sold out by the time I decided to get one so I decided to wait.  That gave me time to learn how the battery works and think about it's implications and after thinking it over I've decided to stay with the Voyage.

As for the adaptive light sensor, I always leave that off on my Voyage and on my phone and on my tablets.  I like to be in control and also I very rarely have any desire to change the light level on any device except in extreme circumstances.

Barry

 

Barry, you bring up what I consider to be a valid point concerning the overall life of the on-board battery, but it took me several hours (in the back of my mind) to understand it, if I indeed understand it correctly.  Let's say the on-board battery is ~ 1/3 of the size of a regular Kindle battery.  If so, if one was to read it 95% of the time without the cover on (which I plan to do), then the on-board battery's overall life could wear down approximately 3 times faster than a regular Kindle's battery.  If this is not the case, am I missing something?

 

Assuming price isn't an issue I think the Oasis might be very attractive if you intend to leave the cover on. I read my Voyage most of the time without a cover and without a cover on the Oasis I'm afraid the battery's overall lifetime might not be long.

While this sounds reasonable enough, as someone who does have an Oasis, and who has always preferred to read my devices with a cover, in practice it doesn't work so well to read with the cover on all the time. When reading with the cover on all the time (this is how I read for the first few days I owned the Oasis), the cover battery is constantly recharging the device battery, with the result that the device battery rarely goes below 90% charge while the cover battery goes down, down, down. At 10% charge on the cover, you start getting a warning that your Oasis battery is low, even though the device battery may show 90%. So, at that point, your option is either to charge it, or start to read with the cover off. This took just a couple of days, I think (although I was reading several hours a day). If you do take the cover off so you can continue to read on the device itself, the cover battery will continue to discharge slightly. Mine zero'd while I was reading with the device only. I think I got another day before I had to charge both (again, I was reading a lot, and I keep WiFi on.)

I've started reading mostly with the cover off with a goal of maximizing the time between charges. I've been reading about three hours a day with WiFi on and I get about five days between charging the device/cover combo.

Hope this helps!

Betsy

 

While this sounds reasonable enough, as someone who does have an Oasis, and who has always preferred to read my devices with a cover, in practice it doesn't work so well to read with the cover on all the time. When reading with the cover on all the time (this is how I read for the first few days I owned the Oasis), the cover battery is constantly recharging the device battery, with the result that the device battery rarely goes below 90% charge while the cover battery goes down, down, down. At 10% charge on the cover, you start getting a warning that your Oasis battery is low, even though the device battery may show 90%. So, at that point, your option is either to charge it, or start to read with the cover off. This took just a couple of days, I think (although I was reading several hours a day). If you do take the cover off so you can continue to read on the device itself, the cover battery will continue to discharge slightly. Mine zero'd while I was reading with the device only. I think I got another day before I had to charge both (again, I was reading a lot, and I keep WiFi on.)

I've started reading mostly with the cover off with a goal of maximizing the time between charges. I've been reading about three hours a day with WiFi on and I get about five days between charging the device/cover combo.

Hope this helps!

Betsy

<relevant part bold>

While you're absolutely correct that the warnings start, I don't have a problem continuing to read with the cover on. Because the warnings only show when you first wake it up. So it's not like you keep getting the warnings every few minutes while you're reading. Of course, if you tend to get interrupted more, it could be more annoying, because then every time you wake it up, you'll see the warning. For me, though, it's not a big deal and it's easy to dismiss the warning, and I am much more comfortable reading with it in the cover.

I keep trying to decide if it would be better if it was the cover that plugged in vs the device. . . .

 

While this sounds reasonable enough, as someone who does have an Oasis, and who has always preferred to read my devices with a cover, in practice it doesn't work so well to read with the cover on all the time. When reading with the cover on all the time (this is how I read for the first few days I owned the Oasis), the cover battery is constantly recharging the device battery

I'm fairly sure I read somewhere that when the Oasis is in it's cover it doesn't use it's internal battery but uses only the battery of the cover, so when the cover is on there shouldn't be any wear on the device's battery. That's assuming I read what I think I read. I'm not 100% sure.

So if I'm right the battery of the Oasis that's used inside it's cover most or all of the time should last as long as any other Kindle battery. The Oasis that's read mostly without it's cover probably isn't going to last too long.

The website linked below disassembled an Oasis and claims it's internal battery is 245 mAh and the Paperwhite's battery is 1420 mAh, meaning the Paperwhite has a 6 times larger battery. Probably with the cover on the Oasis and cover combined are larger than that since it gets a bit more battery life. But that means that the Oasis without the cover should only last 1/6 as long as the Paperwhite before it's battery becomes useless.

http://www.teleread.com/kindle-oasis-teardown-reveals-freescale-chip-samsung-memory-245-mah-battery/

If I'm wrong about what I read and the Oasis in it's cover still uses it's internal battery and lets the cover keep it charged then the situation is much worse: the Oasis with or without the cover is going to die an early death.

I'm not claiming to know enough facts to be sure I'm right about this and I'm certainly no battery expert but I have done some reading about batteries over the years because I want to maximize the life of the devices I use and based on what I know I think this could turn out to be a real problem. I hope I'm wrong but I'm not going to bet a few hundred dollars that I am. I'm not trying to be an alarmist but I do hope that turns out to be what I am. This is kind of scary. I have a lot of confidence in Amazon so my hope is one of the many areas where I'm not an expert contains the reason I'm wrong.

If anyone reading reviews and technical information about the Oasis comes across the statement that it doesn't use it's internal battery when in the cover could you link to it? I'm fairly sure I read that but I don't remember where or if it was based on a guess or actual knowledge. I think it will be good to know.

Barry

 

I own a Voyage and love it.  I also bought the Oasis.  Sadly I returned the Oasis today.  I liked it ok, but I missed the automatic brightness and actually the weight of the voyage.  The oasis is very light weight but I found it kind of slippery to hold with one hand without the cover.  It also made my hand cramp with extended use and I was not completely satisfied with the lighting, if I put the brightness above 10 or 11.  Maybe it's my age, but sometimes I just wanted the screen a little brighter.    I had the 3G w/o so and just could not justify $400, when I found myself actually reading more on my Voyage.

 

<relevant part bold>

While you're absolutely correct that the warnings start, I don't have a problem continuing to read with the cover on. Because the warnings only show when you first wake it up. So it's not like you keep getting the warnings every few minutes while you're reading. Of course, if you tend to get interrupted more, it could be more annoying, because then every time you wake it up, you'll see the warning. For me, though, it's not a big deal and it's easy to dismiss the warning, and I am much more comfortable reading with it in the cover.

I keep trying to decide if it would be better if it was the cover that plugged in vs the device. . . .

Yes, you said that earlier in the thread when I mentioned the warning. . My point in my latest post, which I guess I made poorly, is that the cover battery is going to go down first, and one will get the warning, and if one keeps reading after getting that, the cover will flatline. Maybe that's of concern, maybe it's not, but I thought people reading this thread should be aware.

I'm fairly sure I read somewhere that when the Oasis is in it's cover it doesn't use it's internal battery but uses only the battery of the cover, so when the cover is on there shouldn't be any wear on the device's battery. That's assuming I read what I think I read. I'm not 100% sure.

So if I'm right the battery of the Oasis that's used inside it's cover most or all of the time should last as long as any other Kindle battery. The Oasis that's read mostly without it's cover probably isn't going to last too long.

The website linked below disassembled an Oasis and claims it's internal battery is 245 mAh and the Paperwhite's battery is 1420 mAh, meaning the Paperwhite has a 6 times larger battery. Probably with the cover on the Oasis and cover combined are larger than that since it gets a bit more battery life. But that means that the Oasis without the cover should only last 1/6 as long as the Paperwhite before it's battery becomes useless.

http://www.teleread.com/kindle-oasis-teardown-reveals-freescale-chip-samsung-memory-245-mah-battery/

If I'm wrong about what I read and the Oasis in it's cover still uses it's internal battery and lets the cover keep it charged then the situation is much worse: the Oasis with or without the cover is going to die an early death.

I'm not claiming to know enough facts to be sure I'm right about this and I'm certainly no battery expert but I have done some reading about batteries over the years because I want to maximize the life of the devices I use and based on what I know I think this could turn out to be a real problem. I hope I'm wrong but I'm not going to bet a few hundred dollars that I am. I'm not trying to be an alarmist but I do hope that turns out to be what I am. This is kind of scary. I have a lot of confidence in Amazon so my hope is one of the many areas where I'm not an expert contains the reason I'm wrong.

If anyone reading reviews and technical information about the Oasis comes across the statement that it doesn't use it's internal battery when in the cover could you link to it? I'm fairly sure I read that but I don't remember where or if it was based on a guess or actual knowledge. I think it will be good to know.

Barry

I can only tell you what I saw happen when I checked the battery levels in my device as I used it. There are pics of various levels that I took in the battery life thread.

Betsy

 

I can't speak to the Voyage vs Oasis issue, because never had a Voyage. I upgraded to the Oasis from a second generation Paperwhite.

However, I did want to point out that Amazon makes it pretty painless to return a Kindle with their 30-day return policy.  I know it's that initial decision about which to order that's put you into analysis paralysis, but you can at least rest easy knowing that whichever one you order, you have 30 days to decide whether you made the right decision.  Personally, as soon as I saw the videos of the Oasis I knew I wanted to give it a try.  The price made me twitch a little, but I used Amazon's 5-month payment plan (for the first time ever) to make it at least feel a little less painful.  And I don't regret it a bit.  But that's me comparing it to a Paperwhite 2 (the Voyage never really tempted me) - it was the ergonomics of the Oasis that intrigued me, and I'm very happy with that and pretty much all other aspects of it.

 

Yes, you said that earlier in the thread when I mentioned the warning. . My point in my latest post, which I guess I made poorly, is that the cover battery is going to go down first, and one will get the warning, and if one keeps reading after getting that, the cover will flatline. Maybe that's of concern, maybe it's not, but I thought people reading this thread should be aware.

Sorry! Lost track of what thread I was in!

I guess I've never worried much about devices running to flat periodically. In my experience, the cover went as low as 1%, but not below. The device was still at 7%. Next time I'll let it go until it turns itself off.

The device doesn't always pull from the cover first, though. Because I have, more than once, opened it and checked the levels and the device was NOT at 100%. This even after it sitting over night. If the cover always depletes first, you'd think that I'd wake it up to a 100% kindle every morning. But that's not happening. In fact, just now, I woke it up and the Kindle was at 92% with the device at 72%. After a couple of minutes of manipulation -- opening the paper, paging through articles, periodically checking the power level -- the device is at 89% and the cover is still at 72%.

Sometimes when the Oasis is below 100%, it says 'charging' -- clearly from the cover -- and sometimes it doesn't. Clearly there's some kind of power management thing happening in the background. But at this point I've exhausted my curiosity.

 

Sorry! Lost track of what thread I was in!

I guess I've never worried much about devices running to flat periodically. In my experience, the cover went as low as 1%, but not below. The device was still at 7%. Next time I'll let it go until it turns itself off.

No, I've never worried about it either. But apparently there are those who do.

The device doesn't always pull from the cover first, though. Because I have, more than once, opened it and checked the levels and the device was NOT at 100%. This even after it sitting over night. If the cover always depletes first, you'd think that I'd wake it up to a 100% kindle every morning. But that's not happening. In fact, just now, I woke it up and the Kindle was at 92% with the device at 72%. After a couple of minutes of manipulation -- opening the paper, paging through articles, periodically checking the power level -- the device is at 89% and the cover is still at 72%.

Exactly my experience also.

Sometimes when the Oasis is below 100%, it says 'charging' -- clearly from the cover -- and sometimes it doesn't. Clearly there's some kind of power management thing happening in the background. But at this point I've exhausted my curiosity.

You and me both.

Betsy